Citroen C3 1.4 16v STOP and START
Stop and Start Technology Makes A Lot Of Sense For Urban Drivers. Jonathan Crouch Tries It In Citroens C3 1.4 16v
With Citroens C3 Stop and Start, the main questions centre not around why youd buy one but why you wouldnt want to. After all, the arguments for an automatic engine switch off in stop-start traffic are pretty straightforward.
With the Stop and Start system, the engine is automatically turned off and is in standby mode when the vehicle stops at traffic lights and traffic jams. The engine instantly starts up again when the brake pedal is released, with the vehicle pulling away once the accelerator is pressed. This C3 is the first mass-produced car equipped with this innovative system and, for the time being, can only be ordered in 1.4-litre 16v petrol form with the semi-automatic SensoDrive transmission, Citroens electronically controlled manual gearbox.
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In testing,
Citroen reckon that the Stop and Start system has reduced fuel consumption by 10% for city driving, 6% in a standard combined cycle and up to 15% in heavy traffic. All this sounds reasonable, as does the fact that CO2 emissions should be reduced by a similar proportion. You could also argue and Citroen do that widespread adoption of Stop and Start technology would help to improve the quality of life in cities, since drivers and the urban environment would benefit from total silence during the many times vehicles are stopped. With studies slowing that traffic in inner city areas can be stationary for up to 30% of the time, this C3 could offer even greater savings for urban drivers faced with the daily prospect of traffic lights, pedestrian crossings and congestion.
The system stops the engine a split second before the car comes to a standstill, then restarts it again in just 400 milliseconds (twice as quickly as a traditional starter motor) the moment the driver takes their foot off the brake pedal and wants to accelerate away as normal. The secret behind this technology is apparently a reversible alternator that acts as a standard alternator one minute (driven by the engine to charge the battery) but when required, also acts as a starter motor, driven by the battery to effortlessly restart the engine.
"With traffic in urban areas stationary for up to 30% of the time, Stop and Start makes sense"
Since Stop and Start is the kind of technology aimed at people whove one eye on fuel bills, you might have expected it to appear on a diesel-engined model first. It doubtless soon will but, for the time being, Citroen are looking for a publicity splash and the simple truth is that the savings that this system achieves allied to diesel power are nothing like as great. Perhaps more significant is the fact that Stop and Start, like the 1.4-litre 16v petrol model itself, cant be ordered with a conventional manual gearbox, instead working as part of the semi-automatic SensoDrive paddle shift system.
Since incorporating it means only a few changes to the software, Citroen are consequently able to offer the technology at little or no extra cost for C3 1.4 16v petrol customers. The rub will come when Stop and Start gets rolled out to other engines, forcing buyers to stump up an extra £200-£300 for the questionable benefit of SensoDrive transmission. Were not great fans of this rather jerky system, although it should be pointed out that it does marginally improve fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
This Stop and Start-equipped C3 has replaced the conventional 1.4 16v petrol SensoDrive model, so if you want the fastest 1.4-litre petrol powerplant in a conventional C3, you have to have it. The price is £11,495, the same as youd have paid before, assuming youd ordered the £300 optional rear parking sensors which are now standard.
Enough on Stop and Start, what about the 1.4-litre engine under the bonnet? Well, performance is brisk without risk of turning the front tyres into smouldering carcasses every time you tread on the right hand pedal. The C3 1.4 16v will accelerate to 60mph in 12.
7 seconds before running on to a very respectable top speed of 111mph. The extra 11 lb/ft of low and mid range torque make the 16v unit feel a good deal gutsier than its 8v sibling. Because the engine also features a variable valve timing system, youll feel the benefit of that torque across a wider range, making this C3 happier when pulling from a standstill. Its also a good deal more refined than the 8v unit when extended.
You wont even pay a penalty in terms of overall fuel consumption, the 16v engine returning an average of 47.1mpg which is even better than the 8v unit. The 143g/km of carbon dioxide emissions also land this particular C3 in a very low taxation band. And the Sensodrive gearbox? Well, it does make this C3 supremely easy to pilot in urban traffic.
The gearbox features a mode whereby it defaults to a conventional automatic transmission, thus saving you the bother of shifting yourself. When the road opens up, you can switch it to sequential mode and flip up and down the gears using paddles behind the steering wheel or the centrally mounted gear lever. Its not one of those clever clutchless manuals like an
Alfa Romeo Selespeed or a
Vauxhall Easytronic system theres still a conventional automatic torque converter but it does offer three different programs (Normal, Sport and Snow) as well as that fully automatic mode. This version comes only in SX trim, which means you can expect to find luxury items like a CD stereo and digital air-conditioning amongst other things as standard.
Like all C3 models, the interior is adventurously styled which makes a change from all the other makers who seem to be slavishly aping VW Group products. As a result, instead of a dull Teutonic cabin, weve got one that goes its own way, light and airy with low window lines and bold, sweeping curves. Rock-hard seating, coalhole colour schemes and a fetish for aluminium inserts have all been forsaken in the quest to provide a functional, non-threatening family car. The technology behind Stop and Start is nothing new.
Volkswagen dabbled with it twenty years ago. However, this is the first time any manufacturer has seriously brought it to the volume market. You have to wonder what has taken everybody so long and how long it will be before its simply something we all take for granted. Up until now, the 1.
4-litre 16v petrol model accounted for around 10% of all Citroens C3 sales. One things for certain: that figures going to rise.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Citroen C3 1.4 16v Stop and Start
PRICES: £11,495 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 4
CO2 EMISSIONS: 143g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 12.7s / Max Speed 111mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 47mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front airbags, ABS with EBD
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 3850/1667/1519mm
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